The Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library (MCML) is a craft museum located in Winnipeg, Manitoba dedicated to the preservation of handcrafts, Manitoba heritage, teaching the student, inspiring the artist, and promoting a way of life that values the handmade. The museum started in the 1930s after the establishment of the Manitoba branch of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild (later The Crafts Guild of Manitoba) in 1928. The museum is Canada's only museum of craft and holds a collection with roughly 10,000 artifacts and archival materials. History The Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library has its origins in the early years of the Crafts Guild of Manitoba formed in 1928 as a branch of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild, and in 1933 that group established both a Permanent Collection and Library. Over the years, volunteers worked to develop the collection, create exhibits, establish and deliver programming, and to care for the collection according to museum standards. The Guild also established, in the early 1930s, a library of craft publications and patterns for use in workshops and by craftspeople. The Library grew steadily over the years, and in 1948 was named the Gladys Chown Memorial Library in memory of a President of the Guild who died while in office. In the early 1990s volunteers worked to institute established library procedures and to develop the library into a more comprehensive resource. In 1997 the Crafts Guild of Manitoba closed its doors, but the two collections were kept together and are managed by the Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library, an independent organization. Museum Collection The MCML Museum Collection currently comprises over 10,000 artifacts and archival materials, including both historical and contemporary pieces. The collection includes bobbin lace, ceramics, crochet, embroidery, glass, knitting, needle lace, paper, quilts, rug hooking, sculpture, tatting, weaving, woodworking and more. The museum collection also has archival holdings of textual materials, photographs, and a slide collection. The MCML museum collections are catalogued in an in-house database. Portions of this catalogue are available on Artefacts Canada. Gladys Chown Memorial Library The Gladys Chown Memorial Library is a vital part of the Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library. It was established in the 1930s as part of the Crafts Guild of Manitoba and officially named the Gladys Chown Memorial Library in 1948. The library is a unique collection containing materials dating back as far as the late 19th century; some foreign language books; and recently published books